UUMC MEDIA

2016 General Conference

The General Conference of The United Methodist Church will gather in Portland on May 10-20. General Conference, which meets once every four years, is the top policy-making body of the UMC. The conference can revise church law, as well as adopt resolutions on social, public policy and economic issues. It also approves plans and budgets for church-wide programs.

Again this year, votes will be taken on whether or not and how the church will continue to discriminate against lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, and queer members and clergy.

You can keep up with the news from General Conference in a variety of ways:

Bookmark the website. GC2016.UMC.org is a general source of information for General Conference 2016. News, blogs, resources, videos and photos about happenings at General Conference are available in this central location. United Methodist Communications will update this page throughout the General Conference with the latest news and daily summaries that share the highlights of each day.

Watch the live stream. Whenever the conference is in session, GC2016.UMC.org will feature live streaming video where you will be able to watch the voting, worship, speeches, and celebrations happening on the floor of General Conference. The feed will be available in English, French, and American Sign Language. The schedule is available online, just remember all times listed are Pacific Time Zone, and you may have to adjust.

Follow along with our friends from the Reconciling Ministries Network.

Get the app. General Conference 2016 has a mobile device application available in your app store (Google Play | iTunes). News, videos, photos, and the daily devotions are there now, and much more will be added and updated throughout General Conference.

Follow on social media. Follow UMCGeneralConference on Facebook, @UMCGC on Twitter, and umcgc on Instragram for stories, photos, videos, and links. Use the official hashtag of General Conference 2016, #UMCGC, on any social media platform to join and follow the conversations of United Methodists all over the world. One of the easier ways to follow #UMCGC will be available at GC2016.UMC.org.

Visit the Digital Lounge. The Digital Lounge is where United Methodist leaders and newsmakers pull up a chair for a casual conversation about what’s going on behind the scenes of General Conference 2016.

Keep up with specific legislation. If you are interested in a specific piece of legislation, possibly one submitted by your congregation or annual conference, you can track it on a webpage in the General Conference section of UMC.org.

Know your delegates. Personalize your prayers by lifting up the delegates and leaders from your Annual Conference by name. A list of all delegates and reserves is found here (the list by Annual Conference begins on page 11). Consider also writing a note or email, letting them know you are praying for them. The job of a delegate is time-consuming and sometimes stressful. Many lay delegates are giving up vacation time to be there, and the clergy are often spending an extended time away from their congregations. Lift them, their families, and their churches in prayer.